How to Faithfully Follow Jesus and Leave His Legacy
Happy Pioneer Day! You probably haven’t heard of this special day, unless you’ve lived in Utah. Pioneer Day is when Brigham Young and his compatriots first arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley and declared, “This is the place.” My LDS friends celebrate Pioneer Day with great enthusiasm because they are celebrating their legacy. When we lived in Salt Lake City, we thought the fireworks on July 24th were often better than those on Independence Day.
Noah’s Legacy
My sweet Pastor husband and I recently enjoyed The Ark Encounter in Northern Kentucky. I noticed the exhibit talked about legacy. We leave a legacy by the example we set; Noah left an example of living righteously. We also leave a legacy by how we invest our time; Noah built an insane boat out of obedience to God. In addition, we leave a legacy by where we place our trust; Noah believed God was going to bring a disastrous flood and God was going to keep him safe.
The Apostles’ Legacy
I am currently reading through the books of Acts as I seek to know The Word better. Over and over, I am struck by how focused the apostles were on proclaiming Christ. The apostles didn’t just add a bit of Jesus into the tasks they needed to do like going to work, cleaning the house, or mowing the yard. They didn’t merely limit their spiritual life to being kind as they moved about town, or acting righteously as they conducted business.
The apostles saw the responsibility of proclaiming Jesus to be their main focus. They adhered to the belief Jesus was their assignment, their occupation, their enterprise. Consequently, they squeezed in the daily duties of life around declaring Jesus as Lord. They were determined to leave a legacy that professed Jesus Christ as the longed-for Messiah.
Paul and Legacy
Paul gives the Colossians a picture of what it looks like to live life after being born again as a believer. Paul can aid us in passing on the legacy of knowing Jesus and serving Jesus well.
“So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
Did you notice Paul didn’t say, “while seeking a stable and enjoyable life for your family, make time to sit with Jesus often.” Neither did Paul state, “think thoughts about Jesus more often than you think about your survival, career goals or what color to paint the bathroom.” Furthermore, Paul didn’t provide a list of sanctioned activities that would guarantee a well-rounded legacy such as attend church at least three times each month, be involved in a small group Bible study, and/or participate in an outreach activity every quarter.
First: Seek Christ
Paul begins his instructions with seek Christ, His goals and His mission, first and foremost. We must continually pursue discovery of who Jesus is and what Jesus wants. True disciples search for opportunities to worship, serve and proclaim Jesus every day, all day. Regardless of what tasks we have scheduled on any day, we prioritize chasing after what honors Jesus most in any given moment.
Second: Focus on Honoring God
Paul then advises the Colossians to “set [their] minds on things above.” The word “set” provides the idea that we must choose, determine, and resolve to center our mind only on things that honor God. Paul presents a tough requirement, and we can’t go wishy-washy here.
I have discovered this stipulation is often difficult. My sweet Pastor husband has a strict personal rule that if an F-bomb is dropped in a show or movie, we turn it off or change the channel. What if we continued this concept further? What if we quit watching when a storyline becomes too sensual or promotes any kind of sexual sin? What if we stopped listening to music or podcasts that treat God in any derogatory way? What if we ended conversations that didn’t value others in the way Jesus would like them honored?
We are to be Christ followers, not culture connoisseurs. God’s Spirit must determine what is acceptable to watch, listen to, participate in, and enjoy. We can’t allow the culture to dictate our behavior or choices.
Third: Christ is the Entire Focus of Your Life
Paul’s final proposal is Christ is our life. We can’t get by with tucking bits of Jesus into our busy schedules. We must continually choose Jesus as our focal point, our center, our anchor.
I am teased about the amount of coffee I enjoy; some might even say coffee is my life. For example, I don’t wait till I get up to make my morning brew. I set the coffee pot up the night before and turn on the timer so that I can pour my first cup the moment I stumble into the kitchen. I make coffee a priority in my morning routine.
I think the concept of Jesus as our life has parallels to my coffee addiction. Just as I set my coffee maker the night before, we must choose thought patterns, attitudes and actions that always promote Christ as our priority, often before we encounter a difficult circumstance. We must always turn first to the Holy Spirit for wisdom, strength, and rejuvenation before we stumble around trying to figure things out on our own. We need to consider a complete shift in our thinking.
A Shift in Our Thinking
We don’t go to work and hope to talk about Jesus. We go to a place, thinking about Jesus, looking for ways to honor Jesus, serve Jesus, and proclaim Jesus. While we are at this place, we also do tasks that are assigned to us and for which we are paid.
We are all leaving a legacy of something. The pioneers left a legacy, Noah left a legacy, Paul left a legacy, and so will we. As believers in Jesus, we are called to live our lives as ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) and His Kingdom. We can faithfully represent Jesus and leave His legacy when we flip our thinking from adding Jesus into our lives, to prioritizing Christ as our Sovereign King in every moment we breathe.
